Casanova
by SwindleHeart
Summary: The Black Sacrament has been performed - and Delvin is the target. Astrid is chosen with having to carry out the grueling task, but all does not go as planned for the mischievous assassin when she and the thief come face-to-face. [My own take on the vaguely touched relationship between Astrid and Delvin. Possible romance, formerly known as An Unlikely Bond.]
1. Prologue

**********_Casanova: Prologue_**

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"Now it's never my business to ask why someone would perform the Black Sacrament, but I gotta know, why would you want to tangle yourself with the Thieves Guild?" Asked the leader of the Dark Brotherhood as she leaned against the wall in a bedroom of the Winking Skeever, arms crossed.

"That son of a bitch owes me 2000 gold for last night! I was minding my own damned business in the streets, when this cocky thief - 'Delvin'," She paused, spitting at the sight of his name, "Walks up to me, asking how much I'd be willing to charge for a night alone. I couldn't resist the coin, and I really needed it for my skoo- I mean, for my… children," Replied the woman, an obvious prostitute with a drinking problem.

"_Right._ Well, wouldn't you rather hire a couple thugs to teach him a lesson? Murder is taking a little far, don't you think?"

"I didn't call you here to lecture me about my choice! Now go take care of him! No one," She walked up to her, pointing to the assassin, "And I mean _no one, _plays me."

She raised her hands up in front of her, chuckling under her cowl, "Alright, keep your top on. I'll get it done sister," She said as she walked past her, "Have my gold ready when I get back," She continued as she left the room.

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******A/N: My own take on the relationship between the leader of the assassins and the member of the Thieves Guild. I****t was touched on lightly in the game, and it drove me up the wall how Bethesda never built up on it, and the fact that there are no other fandoms based on these two.**

**Thanks for reading, reviews & feedback appreciated.**


	2. Old Habits Die Hard

"So this must be Riften. I guess the rumors _are _true – what a shithole," Astrid laughed to herself as she made her way outside the city's border.

"Get in, get the job done, and get out. The sooner I finish this, the sooner I can get back to dealing with Cicero…" She said, rubbing her temple, "Cicero… Listener… Right."

She brought down her cowl as she stepped foot into the gloomy town. _No need to draw too much attention to myself_, she thought.

As she passed by a burly man, leaning against a banister outside of a shop, he called out to her, "I don't know you, you in Riften lookin' for trouble?"

She raised her brow, turning to look at him. "Excuse me?"

"You heard me," He said, walking up to her, "You're new around here. People don't come vistin' us for no reason. Watch your back."

"What are you, the tourist guide or something?" She asked sarcastically, crossing her arms.

"For the right price, I can be," He grinned.

"Well then," She smiled sweetly, turning on her charm as she inched closer towards him, "Maybe you can help me with something," She said, bringing her hand softly up to his chest - y_ou've got another thing coming if you expect me to cough up my coin,_ she thought.

"Batting your eyelashes won't work on me, sweetheart," He scoffed as he shooed her hand away.

"Aw, come on," She flirted, tracing her finger back up his chest, "I just need some help finding a certain someone."

"And who would that be?" He asked, grinning.

"Actually, if you could just point me to the Thieves-"

He groaned, cutting her off, "Brynjolf, right? What – did he not return your letters? Listen sweetheart, that guy's a player, and I'm sorry he broke your little, fragile heart, but that's life for ya. Guys want nothing more than some nice pieces of ass, and then they'll disappear in the night of day."

She furrowed her brow, "No, actually-"

"Maven Black-Briar, then? I suggest you stay out of her way before you find yourself at the bottom of the ocean."

"By the nine! Shut up, will you?!" She shouted, "Forget it, I'll find him myself," She sighed, shaking her head as she walked away.

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Spotting what looked to be like an inn at the center of the city, Astrid made her way to the doors, reading the sign that hung above it.

"The Bee and Barb… Cute," She scoffed as she pushed the doors open. The inn was packed, every square inch of it – men, women, musicians, questionable prostitutes, even priests flooded the small room. _Great… _she thought, making her way to the bar.

"Can I help you?" Asked an Argonian, cleaning a tankard with a cloth as she stood behind the counter.

"I hope so," Astrid sighed as she took a seat, "I'm looking for…" She paused, leaning in as she whispered, "Someone. A thief."

"You're gonna have to be a little more specific than that, this is Riften we're talkin' about," She scoffed.

"How much will it cost for you to keep this between us?" She asked.

"Ha!" The Argonian spat, "If you hope on keeping secrets, than you're in the wrong place, stranger."

The assassin let out a sigh, "Get me a cup of mead," She ordered to the barmaid, "This is going to be a long night…"

"You're new around here, aren't you?" She heard a voice ask next to her as she turned to see a man, head to toe in black armour, taking a sip from a tankard, "I may be able to help," He grinned as he took a seat next to her.

"I'm good, thanks," She rolled her eyes as the Argonian slid her a bottle of mead from across the counter.

"Awe, come on now," He said, resting his back against the counter, "I've got quite a few friends here, I may know who you're looking for," He paused, waiting for an answer. "Well, if you change your mind, I'm always available." He winked, "Delvin, pleased to meet 'ya," He smiled.

The ends of her lips twitched as she held back a smile of satisfaction, "Astrid," She replied, taking a sip of her mead.

"Astrid… Lovely name," He said, finishing off his tankard, "Now, since you're new around here and all, what do you say about us taking a little walk," He grinned, "Show you around this magnificent city."

She bit her lip, "That's very sweet and all, but I really can't afford to get distracted right now."

"How flattering," He chanted, "I'm a distraction, you're going to make me blush! Hear that, Aela?" He shouted across the room to a young woman, sitting at a table across from a tall red-head, "I'm a distraction!"

She rolled her eyes, laughing as she turned back to the back to the red-head.

"I really should get going," Astrid interrupted as she got out of her seat, "I'm sure we'll cross paths again," She winked, "See you around, Delvin."

As she made her way out of the inn, she heard footsteps hurriedly make their way to her from behind, as Delvin laid his arm on her shoulder, "You really think I'm going to let you out of my sights that quick?"

She rolled her eyes, _You're making this too easy, friend. _She thought to herself, giving a sly grin.

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**I just had to bring my OC into this, but the two fanfictions don't overlap in terms of timeframes. **

**OK - I lied, it looks like this'll be longer than a two-shot. I just really love writing from Astrid's perspective – a hotshot, total bad ass, flirtatious woman who knows no bounds. :3 **

**Thanks for reading, and as always, please review/leave feedback :).**


	3. A Tempting Invitation

**Wow. Probably the longest I've ever taken to update. Lack of motivation paired with college is never a good mix. But I finally got those damn gears in my head rolling for this story, so hopefully I'll update quicker. I just really wanted to put this chapter up so the update time wouldn't be an entire month. Thanks for the patience, and I'm so damn pissed at how short this chapter is, considering they're usually well over 2,000 words, but longer chapters will follow, promise. :)**

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"You just don't give up, do you?" Astrid shook her head, "Alright, show me the beauty of this so-called town of yours."

"_Perfect," _Delvin chanted, wrapping his arm across her shoulder as he led her to the city circle, "Now why don't you tell me who it is you're looking for?" He smiled, leaning in to her ear, the smell of alcohol still faint in is breath.

"You," She smiled back, "I believe you owe a certain overly-obsessed, drunk prostitute 2000 gold for last night."

He let out a groan, "You can't be serious. Look at me, I'm a damned thief. Did she really expect me to pay her for that? And in all honesty, it wasn't even worth it," He winked.

"Look, it's all strictly business – you have your reasons, and she has hers. But she made it very loud and clear, she wants revenge, and she's willing to pay for it," She explained, trying to keep it playful as she patted his chest.

"And she sent a cute, young, little Nord after me? _How intimidating,_" He chuckled, "What are you going to do, huh?" He asked, nudging her side.

"Just sending a message; and I suggest you take it. Cough up the coin before it gets out of hand."

"Or else?"

"Or else," She brought her lips up to his ear, "I'll have to kill you," She whispered with a chuckle.

"How amusing," He laughed, "But I'll take my chances, love."

She raised her brow, "You _really_ don't find me intimidating?"

"Alright," He stepped back from her, "Have at me. Give me your best shot."

She rolled her eyes, "If I _was_ here to kill you, I wouldn't do it out in the open, smart ass. For a thief, you definitely don't know your way around the ropes. First rule: Work within the shadows, right?"

"Very, very good. I'm impressed," He applauded, "You know more than half the recruits Bryn sends in," He laughed, "So where would you commit this crime of yours then, hmm? I'm genuinely curious here."

"Somewhere dark or secluded, where no passer-bys could witness the monstrosity that is Delvin Mallory's beheading," She grinned.

He cocked his brow, giving a satisfying, semi-bewildered nod, "And how exactly would you lure me to the soon-to-be scene of the crime?"

"Well…" She said, bringing her finger up to his chest, tracing circles over the dark leather, "You'd have to buy me a drink first, and maybe after a night at that shitty inn, I'll take this lovely dagger of mine, and trace lines across that neck of yours."

Keeping a grin, she brought up a tankard that was resting on an adjacent shack, "But no worries, I'm not 'intimidating'," She chuckled, taking a sip of the pungent alcohol.

"As tempting as it sounds to watch your talent with a dagger, I've got a better idea- because quite frankly, I don't need to be known as the thief who got his arse kicked by a cute little Nord. Let me show you a night of what I have-I mean, what this _town_ has to offer, and tomorrow morning, you head on back to Solitude and tell that skeever-ass whore to piss off, aye?"

"Does this night of yours involve you getting piss-drunk?" She asked, the thought of having, for once, an easy contract that was so drunk off his ass that he wouldn't no what hit him, and before he'd know it – he'd be dead on the ground. No fuss: just get in, get him drunk, get the job done, and get out. Plus, she could do it with her dagger in one hand, and a tankard in the other.

"Isn't that what living in Skyrim is all about?!" He asked sarcastically, grabbing the cup out of her hand and finishing off the last of the drink, "So is that a yes?" He asked, leaning against the shack.

"Why are you so fixed on having me fall head over heels for you?" She answered, ignoring his invitation as she crossed her arms.

"Because, I love the challenge of winning over a woman's heart."

She let out a scoff, "Good luck with that, my friend. But I can never turn down a night of drinking, so it seems like you're going to be in for one hell of a ride."

"As I said, my lovely lady," He winked, handing her the empty tankard, "I love a challenge."

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**Reviews are appreciated (Aren't they always?), and thanks for reading :).**

**(As I said in my other story), Yes, I know there's no such thing as hell in Skyrim, but saying "You're in for one oblivion of a ride," Would pretty much make zero sense. Am I right?**


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